The true story of Flaco the Owl — an unlikely hero who follows his dreams and escapes his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo — caught the attention of local attorney, animal rights advocate and mom Christine Mott. She just knew it would make a great children’s book.
She was right.
Her new book, Free Bird: Flaco the Owl’s Dreams Take Flight just won the “2025 Children’s Book International Award” from the American Writing Awards. The book is set to release on May 6 and is available for pre-order on Amazon and from Barnes & Noble.
“Everybody can agree that a bird wants to fly,” said Mott, a first-time author. “I wanted to write something that would inspire kids to take a leap and follow their dreams.”
Flaco the Owl wasn’t a very popular attraction where he lived at the Central Park Zoo. A Eurasian Eagle Owl, he spent most of his life in an enclosure the size of a bus stop, while visitors hurried past him to see the more popular, charismatic animals–the elephants, the tigers and the gorillas.
But everything changed when he escaped. In 2023, someone cut a hole in Flaco’s enclosure and the owl took a chance. He spread his wings, soared into the city and became an international celebrity. The story caught the attention of animal lovers from around the world, including Mott, who used to call New York City her home.
Mott says she wrote the book to explore themes kids can relate to, like the freedom to pursue your dreams. The book takes young readers with them on Flaco’s journey when makes the bold decision to climb out of his enclosure and spread his wings over New York City.
“Every kid can relate to having a big dream,” she said. “But wishing for something as a kid is hard. You are under the control of your parents and you don’t have a lot of free choices in your life as a child. The lesson in the book is that you have to believe in yourself and try. That’s how dreams come true.”
Mott also wants to foster connection, compassion and understanding of animals. By identifying with Flaco’s dream, young readers can begin to understand that animals have feelings, just like we do.
“We might think, Flaco was an animal who had feelings, not unlike my own, and I should care about his feelings and well-being,” said Mott. “Hopefully that causes people to care about the welfare of other animals. There are so many things that can spring from that.”
While Flaco evaded recapture by the zoo and continued to explore the city on his own, fans took pictures of him and shared Flaco sightings all around town. He perched on window ledges, rested on construction equipment and hung out in Central Park.
Sadly, Flaco crashed into a building in Manhattan and died a year after his escape. Although it’s not included in the book, a real-life autopsy showed that he had consumed rat poison which may have contributed to his death.
But Flaco’s story has become part of something bigger. There is, in fact, a whole “Flaco movement” going on, according to Mott.
“Flaco’s legacy is so much more than just one bird,” said Mott. “I see him as an ambassador, and it’s really a gateway issue for people who cared about him and his fate as an individual animal.”
Ultimately, Flaco’s story raises questions about the welfare of animals in captivity. Many animals suffer in zoos, as today’s zoo has remained largely unchanged from the 19th century, according to Mott.
“When you look at the size of a zoo’s parking lot, and then look at the size of the animal enclosures, that’s all you need to know,” she said. “These zoos are not putting the welfare of the animals first. They’re putting entertainment value first.”
For example, Mott refers to the pandas we see in zoos today.
“For all of the talk of conservation, there has not been a single panda reintroduced into the wild,” she said. “These are giant money-makers. The focus isn’t on the animals, its on what they can do for us.”
Mott says she’d like to see zoos move to more of a sanctuary model, and that there are wonderful examples of sanctuaries that house animals that have not been released into the wild, for whatever reason, perhaps due to injury, or being abandoned at birth.
Mott says she doesn’t want to discredit the actions of zoos when they make real efforts to help animals, but they seem to seem to be the exception other than the rule.
“There is definitely some validity to the argument that zoos are working to spread awareness to the facts that these animals are being poached, or their habitats are being destroyed,” said Mott. “But you have to ask yourself, what about the amount of time and money and energy they are spending on that, versus all of their other activities.”
She points to two modern day examples of how concern for animal welfare is growing and changing, and hopes they help inspire more positive developments without forcing animals into captivity.
One is the popularity of the “nest cam” which is tracking the bald eaglets in Big Bear. The other is the life of the P22 mountain lion that inspired construction of the largest-ever wildlife crossing bridge in North America. The $90 million vegetated overpass will provide safe crossing for wildlife from Simi Hills in Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Mountains, over a ten-lane freeway.
“Having animals on display at the zoo certainly isn’t the only way to get the public inspired and aware and caring for these wild animals, and interested in helping them and preserving their species,” said Mott.
In New York City, there is more change afoot, where Flaco’s story has inspired new legislation in a series of bills called “Flaco’s Laws.”
The first bill, which has already passed, changes how the city handles its rat population. It encourages birth control for rodents instead of poison, like the kind that Flaco consumed. The other two laws are still being lobbied. The second bill would increase standards for new construction regarding bird-safe glass, and the third would reduce light pollution that entraps birds, leading to exhaustion and death.
While Mott starts her book tour next month in New York City at the Corner Bookstore on Madison Avenue, she’s excited to tour in southern California and Coronado. She says she’s already reached out to the Coronado Public Library and is planning on donating copies and hosting a story time. She’s also donating copies to Coronado schools.
While she’s busy marketing her current book, Mott says she’s got a running list of ideas for a second book. And yes, she wants to continue writing about animals in hope of inspiring meaningful change.
“My hope is that Flaco’s story opens a small window to consider some things you haven’t already,” said Mott. “Once you connect and understand an animal, it opens up a whole universe of possibilities.”
Half of proceeds from the book will go the Wild Bird Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rehabilitates sick, injured or orphaned wildlife, reintroducing them into the wilds of New York City. 
